


I'll Stand By You

by xFragileHeartx



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Hanoi Project, Implied/Referenced Torture, M/M, VRAINS Hell Exchange
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2018-07-18
Packaged: 2019-06-12 08:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15335643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xFragileHeartx/pseuds/xFragileHeartx
Summary: A collection of important moments between Ryouken and Spectre.





	I'll Stand By You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Michevalier](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Michevalier/gifts).



> This started as a small idea and then kind of got out of hand. Episodes 35-37 covered some of Spectre's thoughts about the Lost Incident, so I wanted to cover Ryouken's side. Then I just started thinking of more and more ideas haha. Also it could probably be read as platonic, but they're currently 8 and 6 (and then 11 and 9) in the story, so no romance yet.
> 
> Anyway, I was your person for the VRAINS Hell Gift Exchange, Michelle! Sorry that it's so late... I'm really happy that I got you though, because writing this fic _really_ gave me a new appreciation for RevSpec.
> 
> Enjoy!

**1\. During the Hanoi Project**

Ryouken stood by his father’s shoulder in the observation room, watching the six children through the cameras into their cells. Most of the children seemed scared, huddled in corners or screaming in pain. He recognized one of them, the blue-haired child who he talked to sometimes. He sympathized with the children, but he also knew what his father was aiming for. Through these experiments, his father could change the world. Imagine, AI with free will. It’d be revolutionary.

Movement from another screen caught Ryouken’s eye and broke him out of his thoughts. This child’s reaction was...very different from the others. There was no sound, but Ryouken could’ve sworn the child was laughing. His head was thrown back in glee, and he spread his arms wide, a large smile on his face. Eagerly, he picked up the virtual reality headset that had fallen off his face and jammed them back on.

‘Is he…having fun?’ Ryouken certainly didn’t expect any of the children to _enjoy_ the experiment. He had many negative feelings towards the project, but interestingly enough, this child’s reaction quelled some of those doubts. The Hanoi Project couldn’t be _that_ bad if someone was enjoying it, right? To Ryouken, it was intriguing that this child was enjoying the experiment as much as he was. He made a note to himself to continue watching this child closely, to keep gauging his reactions. He knew that likely, the child would soon succumb to the pain and fear and break down like the others, but a part of him speculated that maybe this child would continue enjoying the Hanoi Project.

Spectre. That was the child’s name. His file contained very little, a first name, a picture, and the name of an orphanage. Ryouken knew that he didn’t know how Spectre felt. Even though he’d never known his mother, Ryouken had his father, someone that he looked up to and respected. While he was very focused on his experiments, of course, Kiyoshi Kogami tried to make time for his son. Of course, his father’s assistants, Kyoko, Aso, and Dr. Genome (well, mostly Kyoko and Aso, if he was going to be honest) were also people that Ryouken considered family. Even though he was still young, those three had been present in almost all eight years of his life so far. Therefore, Ryouken knew that he couldn’t understand Spectre’s feelings as an orphan. However, he figured that Spectre wasn’t alone. There had to be other children at the orphanage that he could play with.

Sitting at his father’s computer, Ryouken typed the orphanage into the search bar. Of course, the first result was the orphanage’s website, but next seemed to be a long series of reviews. There was nothing that painted the place in a bad light. Most reviewers were very positive, paying compliments to the staff and mentioning how well-behaved and friendly the children that they had adopted were. Scrolling through a long list of positive reviews, Ryouken felt himself zoning out until he came across a, comparatively, very negative review. Of course, it started as all of the others did: compliments to the staff, blah, blah, blah. However, the last paragraph was intriguing. 

> “While of course my child is very kind, there was this creepy kid sitting by a tree. He literally just stared out at us with these hollow blue eyes. I would think that this orphanage would at least _try_ to get the child to just smile and not be all creepy…”

At that point, Ryouken stopped reading, feeling thoroughly disgusted that someone could say something so cruel about a child they didn’t even know. Clearly, the orphanage had not been good for Spectre either. Wandering back to the observation room, Ryouken immediately noticed the other children. Of course, they appeared to be in pain and fearful. Feelings of guilt came crashing down again. ‘It shouldn’t matter if this one child is happy. The others are suffering.’ The other children’s screams seemed to follow Ryouken everywhere. They constantly echoed throughout his head during the day, sometimes even entering his dreams. He knew that he had to put a stop to the project. However, looking at Spectre smiling so joyfully and throwing his head back in laughter, appearing to be experiencing more joy then he ever had, Ryouken resolved to allow his happiness to continue a little bit longer.

 

**2\. Rescuing the Kids**

Well, he’d done it. Ryouken called the Den City Police and told them about what his father was doing. A rescue team had come almost immediately to take the children. Ryouken, his father, and the Knights of Hanoi had long fled the work place at the first sound of police sirens. In the comfort of his home, Ryouken turned on the television, and almost immediately, the story about how the police had been tipped off to the Hanoi Project popped up on screen.

> “As of now, the prime suspect of this incident is Dr. Kiyoshi Kogami, a researcher at SOL Technologies. In looking into his past research, investigators have found evidence that he had information about the six children involved. While they need more evidence to prosecute Kogami, there’s a strong likelihood that he is the one behind this incident.
> 
> In other news, all six of the children have been safely returned to their loved ones.”

At this point, Ryouken sighed and turned off the television. He curled up on the couch, arms wrapped around his knees that were pulled up to his chest. Even though he hadn’t given his father’s name, he knew the Den City Police would find enough evidence to implicate him.

Furthermore, Ryouken had to scoff at the broadcaster’s use of “loved ones”. He _knew_ that not all of the children had loved ones. His mind immediately jumped to the odd-kid out, Spectre. That orphanage hadn’t sounded like a pleasant place to live and Ryouken pitied him if he had to return. Ryouken wished that he could help Spectre, but with his father already in likely danger, he wasn’t sure how. He vowed that maybe he would try to keep track of the boy. Restless with anxieties about what would happen next, Ryouken drifted off to sleep.

The loud knocks at the door woke Ryouken at what he felt was much too early. Opening his eyes, he yawned and attempted to smooth his rumpled clothes. He looked through the peephole in the door, surprised to see some his father’s co-workers from SOL Technologies. They both wore surprisingly casual clothes for what Ryouken had thought was supposed to be a work day. He opened the door and asked, “Can I help you?”

The man smiled and replied, “Good morning, Ryouken. Is your father home?”

* * *

They took him. They fucking took him. Ryouken screamed into his pillow and pounded his fists on his bed where he had thrown himself after his father’s co-works had left, his father in tow. It wasn’t fair. The Hanoi Project was over, so why did SOL Technologies still want his father? Although, if Ryouken was honest with himself, the alternative might not have been much better. He had very little doubt that the police would find his father guilty of the Hanoi Project.

Sighing, Ryouken flipped himself onto his back and stared up at the ceiling, contemplating his own future. If his father was gone, what would happen to him? His mind briefly flashed to memories of a conversation he’d overheard a few months ago between his father and his closest associates, Kyoko and Aso.

_“Kyoko, Aso, you know that this project is dangerous, right?” Kiyoshi Kogami asked. At his associates’ nod, he continued, “If anything were to happen to me, would you do me a favor and look after my son?”_

_Ryouken, huddled out of sight around the doorframe, stifled a gasp. ‘If something were to happen to him?’ Despite some of the moral apprehensions Ryouken had about the Hanoi Project, he didn’t want to lose his father. His mother had died young, so Kiyoshi had been the one to raise Ryouken. Of course, Kyoko and Aso often helped (Ryouken pretty much considered them family too), but Ryouken would still rather have his father. Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn’t hear his father’s footsteps coming towards the door. Upon noticing them, he got up and bolted down the hallway to his room._

Ryouken never heard the end of that conversation, so he didn’t know whether or not Kyoko and Aso had accepted his father’s request.With his father now taken away, he hoped that they’d come and take care of him.

 

**3\. Finding a Friend**

Perhaps Ryouken was naive to think that SOL Technologies would let him visit his father. They had told him that they took his father “for the good of humanity” and to “keep him safe”, but Ryouken knew in his heart that those were both lies. SOL Technologies took his father because they didn’t want what he did to tarnish their reputation. However, Ryouken resolved to get him back. He wasn’t sure how nor when he would be able to, but he knew that despite some of the terrible things his father did, he was one of the only people that Ryouken had left in his life, and he loved him.

That was another thing that Ryouken had been thinking about a lot. Even though Kyoko and Aso had taken him in, Ryouken was still lonely. Of course, they were great surrogate parents, but they were often busy working. Therefore, they tended to not have as much time for him as before when they had been focused on only the Hanoi Project. Ryouken needed a friend, and he suspected that he knew where to get one.

Ryouken felt like he could understand Spectre’s feelings now. The other had been lonely, abandoned and then seemingly ignored by practically everyone. Before, Ryouken had had his father, Kyoko, and Aso (and Dr. Genome, technically, but Ryouken sometimes thought he was kind of creepy), all people that he could turn to if he needed anything. However, now with his father gone and Kyoko and Aso working, he was often lonely now too. Of course, Ryouken could entertain himself, but he knew that things would be more fun if he could make Spectre his friend.

Tracking the kid hadn’t been hard. After being saved from the Lost Incident, the authorities had taken Spectre back to the orphanage. Ryouken scoffed. ‘Spectre wouldn’t be happy being there again.’ Of course, it was the best place to start.

* * *

Ryouken considered himself quite adept at being quiet and sneaky. After all, that’s how he’d managed to overhear many of his father’s plans in the first place. However, sneaking out of the house would be much different, and he wasn’t sure if the storm outside would make it more or less difficult. (He hoped it would be less.) Thankfully, his home was rather large, so even if he was discovered to be gone, Kyoko and Aso would have a hard time looking for him. He looked over his plan again.

Step 1: Take a few yen for taxi. 

Ryouken grinned. Step 1 was a success. Earlier that day, when Kyoko and Aso had come home from work and tiredly flopped onto their bed, Ryouken had secretly stolen some money from their wallets, just enough to get a taxi to and from the orphanage.

Step 2: Make the bed lumpy. 

At this one, Ryouken frowned. ‘What? What does that mean?’ Still confused, he proceeded to do what his plan told him and fussed with his bed. ‘Oh, I meant to make it look like there’s someone in my bed.’ Now confident about what he was trying to do, he took his body pillow and tucked it in vertically under the sheets, making it look like there was a Ryouken-sized lump in the bed.

Step 3: Sneak out of the back door once Kyoko and Aso were asleep. 

Ryouken padded to his door and poked his head out in the hallway. When he went to bed, there had been a light coming from their room, but now it was dark. Smiling, Ryouken grabbed his coat and left his room, sneaking down the hallway. He kept a careful ear out for any sounds, but as he made it out the front door, he couldn’t help himself from laughing, happy with himself for accomplishing his goal.

From here on out, Ryouken knew what to do. He walked down to the base of the cliff where his home sat and used his duel disk AI to summon a taxi, one of those self-driving ones so that no one could accidentally tell anyone where he went. Soon the taxi arrived, and Ryouken entered, feeling more and more excited about finally formally meeting the person he hoped to call his friend.

* * *

Ryouken stood outside of the orphanage gate, not quite sure what to do. He hadn’t thought about security or how he was going to get to Spectre. Furthermore, the other was probably sleeping like he was supposed to be. Turning away, angry at himself for failing, Ryouken suddenly noticed a child’s footprints leading away from the orphanage. Putting his foot next to one of them, he noted that it was slightly smaller than his own. ‘This could be a six-year old kid’s footprint!’ With renewed enthusiasm, he followed the footprints.

As he footprints led him farther away from the orphanage, Ryouken began to recognize some of the surroundings. ‘T-this is near where the Hanoi Project took place!’ Looking up, he noticed a figure huddled against the wall next to a locked gate. Upon closer inspection, the nearby cackling fire cast a glow on the figure, allowing Ryouken to recognize Spectre.

At that instant, Spectre looked up and gasped.

Ryouken smiled and stepped out of the shadows.

“It’s you,” Spectre breathed out in awe before Ryouken could get a word in. “I don’t know how I know, but you came for me, didn’t you?”

Nodding, Ryouken removed his hood and sat down next to Spectre. “My name is Ryouken. I, as an assistant to my father, was part of the Hanoi Project that you looked like you were enjoying so much.”

“I did enjoy it!” Spectre’s eyes sparkled, eagerly taking in everything Ryouken said. “I don’t know what my real name was, but I’m called Spectre. I think it’s cool.” He frowned then. “I was so sad when the dueling ended. For the first time, I felt needed and useful.”

At this, Ryouken looked away in shame. “Then I’m sorry.” At Spectre’s confused look, Ryouken continued, “I was the one who called the police and told them about the Hanoi Project. I…I couldn’t bear to hear the other children screaming and crying in pain.”

Spectre frowned deeper. “You saved them all, but you put me through more pain.”

“I know… But now I think I know your pain.” Steel flashed in Ryouken’s eyes as he explained, “After I called the police, SOL Technologies, the company that my father works for, came and took him. Without him, I’m…very lonely. Despite what my father did, I loved him, and still do love him, so much. I want him back. I…I regret making that call.” By that point, Ryouken was crying, tears sliding silently down his face. He raised his head to face Spectre. “I know how you feel now, and I want to help you.”

Spectre tilted his head to the side. “How can you help me? I’m not going back to the orphanage.”

Ryouken shook his head. “No, don’t go back there. You can come live with me.”

“…What?” Spectre looked bewildered, eyes wide and mouth gaping open. “You still have a place for me?”

Smiling, Ryouke stood up, holding his hand out to Spectre. “Come with me.”

To stunned for words, Spectre nodded his agreement and clasped Ryouken’s outstretched hand, a wide smile spreading across his face. “I’m so happy you came for me.”

 

**4\. Childhood Shenanigans**

Ryouken managed to keep Spectre hidden from Kyoko and Aso for a couple of weeks. However, one night, he was awoken by the sound of a thump and a yelp from Spectre followed by Aso’s deep voice. ‘Damn.’ He pushed his covers off and padded into the hallway. “What’s wrong?” he asked, feigning innocence.

Aso glared at Ryouken. “Ryouken, what did you do? Why is this child here?” By then, Kyoko had poked her head into the hallway, trying to see what all of the fuss was about.

“I couldn’t leave him by himself!” Ryouken cried out, surprising even himself by the amount of passion in his voice. “That place wasn’t good. Spectre’s happier here, right?”

Specter nodded firmly and latched himself onto Ryouken’s arm. “Yes. I’m happy here.”

Kyoko frowned. “Ryouken, I’m sure the orphanage is looking for him.”

“You don’t understand!” Ryouken shouted, angry tears starting to well up in his eyes. “Did you see it? They treated him horribly!” By now, he was flat out sobbing, unsuccessfully trying to rub the tears away.

Spectre quickly hugged Ryouken. “Don’t cry,” he sniffled, tears starting to come to his own eyes. “I’m not going to leave you.”

Kyoko sighed and turned to Aso. “I suppose since no one has come looking for him…”

“No, absolutely not. Ryouken, you can’t go around taking children from their homes.”

Instantly, Ryouken’s eyes flooded with anger. “Isn’t that what you did?” he snapped. “All six of the children in the Hanoi Project were snatched from their families. I helped you take them! What makes what I did with Spectre so different? At least I have a good reason!”

Kyoko had the sense to look sheepish. “Ryouken, we feel guilty for what we did. We should’ve been better and never involved the children. We were blinded by the possibility of the outcome. However, I won’t stand by and let another child be taken from his home.”

“That place wasn’t even a home,” Spectre interjected, bitterly. “Here with Ryouken has felt more like home then there. Please let me stay.” He looked up at the adults with puppy-dog eyes, Ryouken joining almost immediately.

Resisting the boys’ pleading looks was difficult. Kyoko finally sighed. “If anyone, and I mean _anyone_ comes looking for him, then he’s going with them. No questions asked. Until then, he can stay.” She was confident that the orphanage would come looking for him. After all, what orphanage would let a child go missing?

No one ever came for Spectre, much to the children’s delight and Aso and Kyoko’s dismay.

* * *

Before the Hanoi Project, Ryouken’s father homeschooled his son. Ryouken thought that would continue with Aso and Kyoko, but much to his disappointment, he and Spectre now stood in front of a large building reading “Den City Elementary School”. His fingers gripped the strap of his backpack tightly while his other hand held onto Spectre’s.

“Ryouken, I don’t want to be here,” Spectre muttered grumpily. “Why can’t we just go home?”

Ryouken smiled sympathetically at the other. “I don’t really like this either. What if people recognize me?” Aso and Kyoko had given him and Spectre a fake last name, but he was still worried that others would notice his resemblance to his father.

Spectre twisted his face into a look of determination and declared, “If anyone tries to mess with you, I’ll save you.”

At that, Ryouken laughed and ruffled Spectre’s hair. “I know you would,” he replied, affectionately. He took a deep breath. “Come on, we should go.”

Upon stepping into the office, the two boys were greeted by a cheery woman. “Oh, you must be the new students! Welcome to Den City Elementary School!” She glanced down at her papers. “Ryouken, you’re in room 2A, and Spectre, you’re in classroom 1C. You boys better get there quickly if you don’t want to be late.” She passed them each a map and smiled again. “Good luck.”

Ryouken took the map and nodded. “Come on, Spectre. I’ll walk you to class first.” Spectre nodded and followed Ryouken out of the room.

After taking Spectre to his classroom followed by a tearful goodbye and a promise to see him at lunch, Ryouken headed off to his own classroom.

“Everyone, today we have a new student. Would you please introduce yourself and tell us your name, your age, and where you’re from?” the teacher asked, motioning Ryouken to the front of the classroom.

Ryouken walked stiffly to the front of the room, fear of being recognized making his uniform collar feel like it was choking him. “My name is Ryouken Suzuki. I’m eight years old, and I’m from here, Den City. It’s nice to meet you all.” In actuality, he wasn’t really sure how he felt about the other students. So far no one seemed to catch onto his secret, but he knew to be wary. He wasn’t planning on getting close to the other students any time soon.

By the time lunch hit, Ryouken could’ve sworn that it would never come. As soon as he could, he dashed out of the classroom to the cafeteria, looking for Spectre. Soon he spotted the other’s uniquely styled grey hair sitting alone at a table.

As soon as Spectre spotted Ryouken walking towards him, he shot out of his seat and ran to the older boy, wrapping his arms around his waist. “Ryouken, I want to go home.” He twisted his face into a grimace. “Everyone here acts just like they did at the orphanage. They’re mean.” Already, Spectre had had his art supplies that Kyoko had gotten him stolen during crafts, and he felt like he’d been pushed out of his chair enough to last a lifetime.

Ryouken patted Spectre’s head before leading them back to the table. “I want to go home too, but we can’t. We can simply stick together though, and that’s enough for me.”

Spectre nodded, the other’s words making him feel a little bit better, and bit into his lunch. Despite how busy she was, Kyoko took the time to make him and Ryouken a lunch, salmon stuffed rice balls and a small salad. The food tasted much better than anything he’d ever eaten in the orphanage.

At that point, one of the older children sneered from behind them, “Aww, looks like the little tree hugger found a friend that _wasn’t_ a plant.”

Spectre felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Of course, he knew Ryouken didn’t care about his fondness for plants, but the way the other child said it made it sound bad.

Ryouken turned to the bully and glared at him. “Pick on someone your own size,” he retorted, sharply. Spectre thought if looks could kill, the bully would be dead.

“Are you volunteering you little bastard? Oh wait, that wouldn’t fit with someone ‘my own size.’” The bully laughed loudly and sauntered off.

Ryouken reddened, although in anger instead of embarrassment. He knew he wasn’t _that_ small compared to other students. He turned back to Spectre and tapped the top of his head affectionately. “Ignore him. You’re my best friend, plants and all.”

At this, Spectre grinned and replied, “And you’re mine, even though you are kind of short.”

Coming from Spectre, Ryouken knew it wasn’t an insult and laughed. It wasn’t going to be an easy school year, but with his best friend, each knew that they’d make it through.

* * *

 It was a cold and rainy day, the perfect day for staying indoors with a warm blanket and hot chocolate. That’s exactly where Ryouken and Spectre were, snuggled up in respective armchairs. Suddenly, Ryouken had an idea. “Spectre, we should make avatars.”

Spectre looked at Ryouken questioningly. “Avatars?”

Ryouken nodded excitedly. “Yeah! For Link VRAINS. Even though we aren’t technically old enough, I can hack into the database and get us the materials to make them.” He grabbed his duel disk from the side table and began to fiddle with it.

Fascinated, Spectre crawled off of his chair and into Ryouken’s, watching over the older boy’s shoulder.

“Aaaaaaand, done!” Ryouken declared. “Now we can get into the avatar building function.” He frowned. “Unfortunately, I can’t get passed the gate to actually let us into Link VRAINS, but now we’ll be prepared for when we get older. Here, pass me yours.” After pressing a few buttons on Spectre’s duel disk, he passed it back to the other boy. “Now let’s go into the VRAINS!” he cried, Spectre’s voice joining in at the end.

The two boys appeared in an empty room. An AI popped up. “Hello, and welcome to Link VRAINS. My name is AI-006, and I will be your assistant for getting started in Link VRAINS. First, please tell me your names that you wish to use in the network.”

Ryouken rubbed his chin in thought. ‘Hmm… It has to be something cool.’ He suddenly recalled how in class the other day, they had been studying different inventions. Now if only he could remember the really cool-looking gun he saw. ‘What was it called, what was it called?’ His eyes lit up as he found the answer. “Revolver! My name will be Revolver.”

Spectre smiled. “That’s a really cool name. I can’t think of anything cool for myself…” He pinched his eyebrows together in disappointment.

Ryouken shrugged. “Your actual name is cool. It’s like a ghost, but spookier.” The two boys made jokes about how Spectre was really like a ghost with how good he was about sneaking around the house and scaring people. Usually Aso or Kyoko were the victims of the boy’s tricks, and while the adults would scold, the boys knew that they really weren’t that offended.

“You think my name’s cool?” Spectre asked, blinking up at Ryouken, amazed that the other would say that. Of course, Spectre knew that Ryouken liked him (he couldn’t fathom why the other boy would’ve taken him in if he hadn’t), but the younger didn’t really think there was anything specific that Ryouken liked about him.

Ryouken nodded. “Of course. I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true.”

Smiling widely, Spectre turned back to the AI. “Ok then. My name is Spectre.”

“Welcome, Revolver and Spectre.” A door appeared behind AI-006. “Please proceed through this door to design your avatar.” With that, the AI disappeared, and the boys walked through the door.

The other side basically looked like a giant closet that was miles long with holographic articles of clothing. AI-006 popped back up. “Welcome to the design room. Here, you can design your avatar. For now there’s only basic-.” The AI’s voice was promptly shut off.

Ryouken smirked. “She was getting annoying. Anyway, I bypassed all of this so we can use whatever we want to design our avatars.” He made his way down the hallway before calling over his shoulder to his companion. “If you find something similar to what you want, I can make a few tweaks if you need it.” With that, he proceeded to the hair section.

Most of the hairstyles were very boring. Ryouken quickly walked to where the more interesting (and technically should’ve been locked to a beginner) were held. He stopped in front of an image of a spiky dark blue hairstyle with a lighter blue section in front. He frowned. This was so, so close to what he wanted. He tapped the hairstyle, opening a menu with different colors. He selected a darker red for the base and a lighter red for the front. Now to change the style a bit. He tapped his duel disk a few times, successfully hacking into the hairstyle. He pushed back the spikes so they pointed towards the back of his head instead of straight up. Satisfied, he moved on to eyes.

This was probably the easiest for Ryouken. He quickly found a pair of almond-shaped pupil-less yellow eyes that he liked. He looked at the preview screen. His avatar was coming along nicely.

It felt like Ryouken had been planning his VRAINS avatar for awhile. He was rather quick to select his items and tweak them to suit his needs. Meanwhile, Spectre was struggling to keep up. He had no idea what he was doing, and it clearly showed with how he kept lagging farther and farther behind. Not wanting to be left in the dust, he picked up speed, jogging through the different avatar design sections and selecting things he even vaguely liked, checking ever so often to make sure he didn’t create something atrocious. By the time he reached the end, he was slightly out of breath.

Ryouken heard Spectre puffing beside him, and he turned away from his completed avatar to face his friend. “Did you finish?” At the other’s nod, Ryouken smiled. “Can I see it?”

Feeling slightly embarrassed now about his quick selection Spectre replied, “Only if you show me yours first.” When the other boy revealed his avatar, Spectre’s jaw dropped. Ryouken’s avatar looked awesome! The avatar looked like it wore a one-piece ensemble, almost everything seamlessly attached, a mask excluded. It was mainly white with light green, red, and black accents. The mask was adorned with four disks, connected by white lines. He even had bullet earrings to symbolize his username! “Woah, your avatar is so cool! What’re the disks for?”

Ryouken shrugged. “They just looked cool. Now let me see yours.”

Spectre knew his avatar failed in comparison. He shamefully brought it up and showed it to his friend. The avatar was relatively simple, grey hair falling across his forehead, wide blue eyes, and a plain white suit.

“I think it suits you,” Ryouken declared. “Although maybe I can make some of it better.” He pressed the screen of his duel disk, hacking into Spectre’s avatar. He gave the suit some accents around the edges. “What color do you like?”

Stunned by Ryouken’s original statement, Spectre fumbled over his answer. “I like blue, but a dark blue.” He watched in awe as the accents faded into an almost-black navy blue.

Satisfied, Ryouken gave the avatar back to Spectre. “Unfortunately we can’t get any farther than here since we don’t have our duel decks registered yet. Also since we’re actually not old enough to be here,” at this, he scowled, “which isn’t fair. I bet that I’m a better duelist than most of the people here, and so are you.” His face morphed into a smile. “But I’m going to learn how to bypass more of the system and get us in sooner! I promise.” He held out his pinky to Spectre.

Spectre laughed loudly. Pinky swears had been the first thing the boys had developed together. They each knew that a pinky promise was a promise that they couldn’t break. He locked his pinky with Ryouken’s. “Ok. I believe in you!”

With that, the boys logged out of Link VRAINS, ready to return later.

 

**5\. Forming the Knights of Hanoi**

The two boys didn’t return to Link VRAINS until three years later. However, this time, the reason was different.

When Aso and Kyoko told Ryouken that SOL Technologies was returning his father, Ryouken was ecstatic. After three long years, his father was finally going to return home. Ryouken couldn’t wait to introduce him to Spectre and vice versa. He had a feeling Spectre would love his father as much as he did. After all, Dr. Kogami was the person that really provided Spectre with his entertainment in the form of the Hanoi Project.

Ryouken was so fucking naive to believe that SOL Technologies would return his father to him unharmed. He was returned in a coma. A virtual coma. According to Aso and Kyoko, his father’s consciousness was stuck in Link VRAINS, and Ryouken was determined to contact him. He spent restless nights learning all he could about Link VRAINS’ security, so he could then hack into it.

Spectre was concerned for Ryouken. Of course, he knew contacting Kiyoshi was important to the other boy, and Spectre was looking forward to meeting the mastermind behind the Hanoi Project himself. However, he also missed his companion. For practically three years, he and Ryouken had been inseparable. The boys did almost everything together. They hung out at school, took walks to the park together, and of course, lived in the same household.

Spectre himself wasn’t very good with technology, not like the way Ryouken was, but nevertheless, he he still tried to help whenever he could. “Ryouken, can I get you anything?”

Ryouken was so busy tapping away at his keyboard that he barely heard Spectre. “No, I’m fine.” Faintly hearing the sound of the other boy’s slightly disappointed sigh, Ryouken looked up. “We can hang out in a little bit, I guess. Aso and Kyoko will probably be bugging me to take a break by then.” He knew he could get obsessed with things, and others frequently had to pull him away from his work to eat or relax. Secretly, he was glad that Spectre sometimes bugged him while he was working, for it reminded Ryouken that even if he was itching to find his father, working himself into the ground wouldn’t help.

* * *

“My father completed the project,” Ryouken stated as he and Spectre sat on the swings. Two months after discovering the coma, Ryouken had successfully managed to revive his father in Link VRAINS and speak to him. “When imprisoned, he made six sentient AIs based on the children from the Hanoi Project that he calls Ignis. He says that they got away and made their own world, the Cyberse World. However, he now fears that they will take over humanity.” He sucked in a breath and looked directly at Spectre. “He wants my help to destroy them.”

Spectre tilted his head to the side in confusion. “But didn’t he initially create the Ignis to advance humanity?”

Ryouken nodded. “He did. It was a fascinating idea, humans and AIs living together. I guess new research projected disaster. Anyway, he has a plan to find the Cyberse World and destroy it. He wants to form a group of capable duelists to search for the Ignis.” He looked Spectre straight in the eye. “You’ve become a really good duelist over the years. I know you’re young, but do you want to join-?”

“Yes!” Spectre cried, eyes glowing with happiness. “I want to be by your side, Ryouken. I know that you’re gonna fight with your father, so I want to too!”

A wide grin spread across Ryouken’s face. “Ok. Come on, you should come meet him.” He hopped off the swing and started jogging the towards the house, Spectre following suit.

Back at the house, Ryouken tossed Spectre his duel disk. “I developed a program to bypass SOL Technology’s security and get us into Link VRAINS.”

Both boys sat in their respective armchairs (they’d claimed them when they were younger) and declared, “Into the VRAINS!”

The boys materialized in a large, dimly lit room. The front wall was lined with screens and a large section in the middle of the floor showed other parts of Link VRAINS.

“Father, this is Spectre, the one I’ve told you about,” Ryouken announced once Dr. Kogami caught sight of the boys.

“P-pleased to meet you sir,” Spectre squeaked, instantly embarrassed at how his voice wavered.

“So you’re the boy Ryouken has told me so much about. Thank you for being my son’s companion.” Dr. Kogami smiled at Spectre, filling the child with joy. “It hurt to be separated from my son, especially since he’s all I had after his mother’s death, but I’m happy that he was able to find someone to spend time with.”

Ryouken rolled his eyes at his father’s words, but he secretly agreed. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if he hadn’t found Spectre. The two had been inseparable ever since Ryouken had taken Spectre into his home, and they had formed a close bond. Spectre was someone that Ryouken could lean on. The younger boy had comforted him when he was missing his father. He remembered a particularly bad night a few months Spectre had been living with him.

_Ryouken woke up, gasping loudly thrashing in his sheets. Upon remembering that he wasn’t the only person in the room, he tried to quiet himself. He breathed heavily, trying to shake the dream from his mind._

_“Ryouken,” Spectre whispered, crawling up into the older boy’s bed from his makeshift bed. “Are you okay?”_

_Nodding shakily, Ryouken replied, “It was just a dream. Go back to sleep.” His tried unsuccessfully to hold the shakiness back from his voice. He could barely make out Spectre shaking his head in the dark._

_“You’re not okay. Do you want to talk about it?” Spectre asked._

_Ryouken wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk about it, but he figured that maybe it’d help if he did, and Spectre was clearly willing to listen. “Everything was just…gone. My father is already gone, but then Aso and Kyoko left. Then you left, and I was all alone.” He sniffled, trying, but failing, to keep himself from crying._

_Spectre wrapped his short arms as best he could around Ryouken. “I’m never gonna leave. I promised you that. I don’t think Aso and Kyoko would leave either.” He tapped his chin in thought. “I don’t know anything about it, but I think they love you.”_

_This caused Ryouken to let out a short laugh through his tears. “You’re six. How do you know about love?”_

_Shrugging, Spectre replied, “I don’t, but I know they like you at least. They do stuff for you, so they won’t leave you.”_

_Shaking his head fondly, Ryouken returned Spectre’s hug. “Thanks Spectre. Do you wanna sleep up here tonight?”_

_Spectre nodded and buried himself in the covers. “‘Night, Ryouken.”_

_“‘Night Spectre,” Ryouken whispered, wiping away his last tears and snuggling back into the blanket._

Since then, Spectre was always the person Ryouken would go to when he was troubled. Even though the other was two years younger and didn’t always give great advice, Ryouken trusted him completely, and his mere presence was often comforting.

Spectre would proceed to become one of Ryouken’s most loyal knights. Many times, he stood up for Ryouken when other members would look down on him for being so young, and Ryouken in turn would help Spectre hone his dueling skills even more. Spectre quickly rose up the ranks and became Ryouken’s assistant, although the other knights suspected favoritism.

It took the Knights of Hanoi two years and many failed attempts, but they eventually found the Cyberse World.

**Author's Note:**

> There's technically a part 2 that I'm working on that's going to cover events that take place during canon events so stay tuned :3c
> 
> Also if I missed any tags, feel free to tell me about it.


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